Unorthodox
by Crowlows19
Summary: When Jack follows Alex to the SAS training camp at Brecon Beacons, K-Unit immediantly falls victim to her bizarre sense of humor. Will she manage to get them all binned? Pre-Stormbreaker Mission
1. The Sixth

This was something I randomly thought about during math class one day. I thought it would be fun to write and I'm not entirely sure where it's going. Anyway, let me know what you think.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Alex Rider. **

* * *

Alex Rider, officially Cub, unofficially Double O'Nothing, hated Wales. At the moment he hated it more than Alan Blunt or even his music teacher who had practically told him he sucked. He might have liked the fresh air and rich foliage of Brecon Beacons if it wasn't an SAS camp, or Hell Camp as he called it, and if it didn't rain so much.

He'd been there five days so far and he felt beaten, bruised, and battered. His body ached in places he hadn't even been aware of before this blasted training. He'd also received more hostile looks than he'd thought possible. He was rather cowed by K-Unit at the moment, though he would never admit it to anyone and it wasn't like it mattered; he'd sworn revenge days ago.

The soldiers were doing their best to ignore him and make his life as hard as possible all at the same time. He had to admit, they were fairly good at it. He even almost sorry for the person who would become their real enemy and not just an unorthodox fifth member. He cracked a small smile at the thought, imagining K-Unit putting all their being into screwing up some terrorist's plans.

He could easily see Eagle simply annoying them to death with his constant inane chatter. The four soldiers talked very little when Alex was around but when they thought he was asleep or out of earshot it was an entirely different story. Alex had picked up quite a bit about their real personalities simply by eavesdropping. He didn't feel bad about it, hell, he took comfort in the fact that they were actually capable of being human and not just some pissed off killing machine.

Wolf was naturally quite but was insanely good at leadership and cheating at cards. Fox was pretty diplomatic and seemed like a genuinely nice guy. Alex had once overheard him telling the Unit to shut up when they'd gone into one of their Cub related rants. Snake was the medic of the Unit and highly intelligent always spewing out some sort of fact or figure. Eagle was a jokester with a natural ability to be extremely annoying and immature.

Alex had been surprised when he'd first caught a glimpse of the people under the soldier. It had been difficult at first but he'd come to accept that all SAS soldiers had split personalities and had moved on.

Alex and K-Unit had split up for the afternoon as the soldiers went to practice their aim at the shooting range and he was forced to swim five kilometers. Someone, somewhere had decided he wasn't allowed to use a gun. Alex considered himself lucky as far as the swim went. He could have had to do the Jungle gym from Hell for three hours straight. He also didn't even have to finish the swim at all. When a lightening bolt struck a tree right near the lake the Sergeant had ordered him out saying he wasn't going to have his arse nailed to the wall because MI6's pet project had been electrocuted.

On his way back from the lake he took the path that put him at the rear of the hut they were staying in. Rounding the corner he stopped dead, looking at K-Unit glaring at something inside the hut from the doorway. They hadn't spotted him yet and he wondered if he would be blamed for what ever was pissing them off at the moment.

"Who the hell are you?" Wolf asked hotly moving into the hut with the rest of the unit following closely. Alex didn't catch the other person's reply. Extremely curious and wanting to get out of the rain he approached the door cautiously knowing by Wolf's lack of respect it wasn't a commanding officer but someone else.

"Why are you here?" Snake asked as Alex came to the doorway.

"That's none of your business," replied the person. The voice was achingly familiar and Alex froze, shocked. This was impossible. How could she be here? The Unit was surrounding a sixth cot squeezed in next to his and he couldn't see her as she was sitting down.

"At least tell us you're not another addition," Fox said almost pleadingly.

"Please, like I have what it takes to be SAS," she replied. Wolf opened his mouth to say something but Alex beat him to it.

"Why are you here?" he asked and everyone turned to look at him. As they turned K-Unit shifted revealing Jack Starbright. The red headed American was in purple Ugg boots, a mini-skirt, and a black hoodie. She looked so out of place next to a frazzled and murderous looking K-Unit it was almost funny. When she caught sight of him she stood up from the cot and flashed him a wide smile.

"Hi," she greeted simply. "I was wondering when you'd drag your butt back." Alex stared, still not entirely sure if this was real or if his exhausted mind had finally snapped.

"You two know each other?" Snake asked looking between Jack and Alex.

"Since he was seven," she replied brightly.

"Great," Wolf mumbled before moving over to his cot and sitting on it. A rather awkward silence descended on the hut.

"So, should I call you by your real name or code name?" Jack asked breaking the silence.

"Um, code name," Alex replied.

"Right. Which one?" she asked.

"What?" Alex said confused.

"Do you want me to call you Cub or Double O'Nothing?" she asked a small smile playing on her lips. K-Unit looked at her in surprise; they hadn't thought anyone even knew about the cruel nickname. Alex just rolled his eyes, crossed his arms, and allowed a humorless smile to spread on his face.

"What do you think?" he said. Jack smiled even wider and settled back onto her cot.

"Double O'Nothing it is then," she said. Alex rolled his eyes again before moving to his own cot and facing Jack. "So tell me Nothing, what'd you do today?"

"A swim," he answered and her eyebrows shot up.

"With the lightning?" she asked.

"Did you get electrocuted Cub?" Wolf asked mockingly almost sounding like he wished Alex had gotten fried. Alex shook his head at him.

"No, the Sergeant didn't want MI6 on his case," he said. Fox, Eagle, and Snake, who were still standing side by side, exchanged glances at his sudden forthcomingness.

"Don't say they never protected you," Jack said with a bitter sarcasm. She looked at K-Unit. "Aren't you five supposed to do the training together?"

"In theory," Snake answered. "They make allowances for his age." Alex briefly wondered why they didn't seem to have the hostility they had had with him with Jack. Maybe it was the fact that, even though a woman, Jack was a grown up and not there to train with them. He guessed it also wasn't that much of a humiliation to have a hot American hanging around your Unit.

"So what were you guys doing?" Jack asked and Alex couldn't help but wonder what the hell _she_ was doing.

"We were at the shooting range," Eagle said finally moving to his own cot; Fox and Snake still made no move away from Jack's cot. Jack looked vaguely confused at the answer which in turn only confused K-Unit.

"Someone decided I shouldn't use a gun," Alex said at her questioning look. Jack knew for a fact that Alex could shoot a gun, she'd taught him herself. Jack had grown up with a father and two older brothers who were inner city cops; they'd made sure it was a skill she processed.

"Yeah, I prefer a crowbar myself," she said mock-seriously though Alex was fairly sure he was the only one who caught it. He could tell by the strange looks Jack was getting from K-Unit.

"Are you ever going to tell me why you're here?" Alex asked by way of reply. She'd ignored the question twice now and he was burning to know.

"Yeah, and care to tell us who you are?" Fox said.

"My name's Jack," she told them. "I'm Cub's guardian."

"So can you tell us why the hell he's here?" Wolf asked hoping for a real answer. He didn't get one.

"Nope," Jack said. "Classified." Wolf scowled.

"Jack," Alex said sharply. "Why are you here?'

"To see you silly!" she exclaimed and Alex resisted his urge to punch something. Instead he narrowed his eyes and shook his head.

"I'm serious Jack," he said harshly. He was not in the mood for one of their more complicated conversations. Alex and Jack were notorious for their verbal sparring but Alex's mind was too tired to extensively pick her words apart.

"So am I," she replied, growing serious. "And you better be grateful."

"Why?"

"Well, I'm pretty sure I committed an act of terrorism to get here," she said sheepishly and Eagle's jaw actually dropped in surprise.

"What are you talking about?" Wolf asked pushing himself up and rejoining them. Eagle mimicked his movements. Jack directed her answer to Alex.

"Let's just say that when they cleared his office they missed a rather important something," she said. The cryptic answer did little for K-Unit but Alex had known Jack for half his life and he knew exactly what she was talking about. Utilizing hiding spaces was a Rider family trait. Ian must have stored something that MI6 had missed when they'd raided his home office. Jack, having lived with the Riders for seven years, knew how they thought and where to look. She must have found whatever it was and, knowing MI6 would want it and that it was probably important, had handed it over but not without something in return.

"You blackmailed MI6?" Alex asked shocked at the gall of the American.

"I prefer negotiated," she said.

"Damn, you got one set of stones on you," Eagle said sounding just as shocked but Alex had a feeling he still didn't know what was really going on. Jack just smiled at him.

"And don't you ever forget it," she said.

"You've answered the how but not the why," Alex told her. She leveled her gaze at him, blue eyes piercing brown.

"If you're gonna go through hell, I'm gonna watch," she said. Alex knew it was her way of telling him that she wanted to make sure he made it out in one piece without giving K-Unit anything to jump his shit about. He took her meaning to heart and was silently grateful.

"Oh, thanks," he replied sarcastically.

"Aren't you a loving guardian," Eagle said with a small smile enjoying the show. Alex gave a small snort.

"Please, Jack can barely take care of herself." Jack instantly shot him a look of annoyance.

"You're alive aren't you?" she shot back.

"Yes, but only because I stopped eating your food. That shit's toxic," he said.

"Shut up, Nothing," she replied lamely. Alex caught a few looks of amusement pass between K-Unit. Alex figured that they were thinking that if he couldn't be useful he'd at least keep them entertained.

* * *

Dinner that night was interesting. K-Unit and Alex had run seven kilometers before the meal and they were still there before Jack. Ian had often joked that Jack would be late to her own funeral one day. They'd already gotten their food and had sat down when the American made her entrance.

She walked in like she owned the place and effectively ignored the wide mouthed stares the other trainees gave her. Some of them hadn't seen a woman in weeks and Jack knew it and used it. Alex secretly marveled at the American's manipulation abilities. He hadn't thought she could ever pull something like this off and he was impressed.

She sat down directly across from Alex shooting him an amused look at the SAS antics. He managed a half-hearted smirk back before returning his eyes to his food.

A few minutes later one particularly brave soul by the name of Wasp said to Wolf, "What's with the hot sixth?" Wolf glared at the man then shrugged.

"I have no idea," he finally said.

"Damn, first a kid, now a chick," was the reply and Wolf shrugged again. He didn't think anything could surprise him anymore.

"I know what you mean," Eagle piped up. "This has got to be the most unorthodox training yet." Fox and Snake nodded in agreement.

"Could be worse," Wasp said.

"How?" Wolf asked not seeing how this could possibly get worse.

"Well, the fifth's quite and the sixth's hot. Could be a lot worse," the man said with a smile.

"You know," Jack said gaining the attention of the table. "the hot sixth can hear you."

"Good for you sweetheart," Wasp said a little nastily.

"Let me guess, you're codename's 'Pig' right?" she shot back. Alex ducked his head a little lower to hide his smirk.

"What the hell are you even doing here?" Wasp asked suddenly angry. Alex could easily see where this was headed; Jack had a temper and, apparently, so did Wasp. Alex knew if things got out of hand Jack wouldn't hesitate to engage in a physical fight with Wasp, SAS or not. He caught Eagle's eye and silently asked him to stop the oncoming altercation.

"Cool it, Wasp," Eagle snapped then turned to Jack, "You too." Jack shrugged and Wasp turned away. With the crisis averted Alex felt himself relax a little.

"This shit looks like what we used to put in the hog trough back on Aunt Nellie's ranch," Jack suddenly said after a few moments of uneasy silence.

"Jack," Alex said feeling his appetite slip away. "We really don't need that mental image."

"I agree," Eagle said looking at the slop on his tray with renewed disgust before pushing it away altogether.

"It's not my fault it's true," Jack defended.

"Could be worse," Alex said mimicking Wasp's words.

"How?" Eagle asked his tone telling everyone that he expected this to turn into a joke.

"Could be Jack's food," he said before exclaiming, "Ow!" He bent down to rub his shin where she'd kicked him ignoring both her's and K-Unit's smirks. Great, just what he needed, another bruise.


	2. The Killing House

Here it is! So this isn't the funniest chapter on the planet but I needed some serious conversation to explain some things. The next one will be pretty wild though. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Alex Rider.**

* * *

The next morning saw Jack sitting in the hut that doubled as the Sergeant's office and sleeping quarters. The man had been less than pleased to see his new 'guest'. Jack could tell that the hard core SAS man was torn between his instinct to follow orders and his desire to return Brecon Beacons to its previous woman and child free state. She remembered his harsh scowl the night before when he'd first seen her.

He hadn't had time to fully discuss anything with her as he had a training something-that-sounded-important he had to attend to. Jack secretly thought he just needed time to gather his thoughts. He'd had a full twelve hours and the two were now facing each other across his desk. He was glaring and she held a blank stare showing no emotion.

"MI6 is losing their touch," he said. "First a boy, now a woman."

"I'm not here to train," she replied choosing to ignore the insult in favor for more pressing matters.

"Then why are you here?" he growled in question. Jack paused not entirely sure if anything she said would make its way back to Alex or anyone else. Then again, the Sergeant hardly seemed like the type to gossip.

"I'm here for several reasons," she replied purposefully vague. This stressed out soldier was easy to wind up and Jack was enjoying what little revenge she could get on Alex's behalf.

"Like what?" he asked leaning back and crossing his arms. It normally would have been thought of as a casual stance but his glare, still going strong, changed that.

"Well, for one you're beating the shit out of my ward," she started.

"We were told to train him," the Sergeant said harshly. "I'm not going to go easy on him."

"I'm aware of that," Jack said. "I don't expect you to nor do I want you to."

"Oh," the Sergeant said a little surprised.

"Yes, MI6 are gonna do what they're gonna do. I don't have the power to stop them no matter how much I want to. Besides, I'm currently out of state secrets to bargain with."

"Then why bring him up?" he asked not entirely sure if Jack was all there or not. The red head shrugged.

"I just want to make sure he's okay," she said as dryly as possible. The soldier could still tell how much she cared though. He gave an awkward cough, not sure how to respond.

"What's your other reason?" he asked.

"Protection," she said shortly.

"From what?" he asked interested. Violence was, after all, his chosen occupation.

"I'm not sure," Jack replied. "MI6 won't tell me anything."

"I know how that goes," the soldier replied sarcastically. Jack rolled her eyes and gave a small huff of agreement.

"Yeah, anyway, after about a week of broken windows and weird phone calls I woke up to a burning house. Obviously I'm fine but I'm now homeless."

"They sent you here because the house is gone?" The Sergeant asked temper flaring. "Ever hear of a hotel?"

"Yes, I have but I needed somewhere to go that's _safe_," she snapped. "So I chose here."

"Why would you choose to come here?" he asked not sure why even sane civilian would choose to come to Brecon Beacons.

"Cub is here," she said simply. "Like I said before, I wanted to make sure he was still in a semi-one piece state. Plus, MI6 said that by the time his training is over, I can show my face in London again without having to worry about ending up at the bottom of the river."

"How serious is this threat?" he asked. Jack paused a lot longer and more noticeably this time. She eyed the man in front of her not sure what to say but apparently, the man could read minds. "Anything you say I won't repeat," he assured her and Jack, for some reason she couldn't explain, found herself telling the soldier the truth. Not just a half truth mixed with sarcasm either, the full truth as she knew it.

"The people who killed Cub's uncle are trying to get MI6 to back off. From what I've been told they don't know about Cub or that he's been hired, just that his uncle had family in that house." Jack looked at the SAS trainer and found his face impassive, he was simply listening. "Anyway, MI6 is spooked, which only freaked me out even more, and said I had to go somewhere safe. I just know they wanted me to go back to the states but I'm not gonna allow them to put an ocean between me and that kid. So I traded some files I saved from the fire for a ride out here."

"So you're only here until Cub goes to wherever they're planning on sending him?" he asked.

"Yes, sir," Jack replied.

"I won't tolerate you interfering with any of the training exercises," he warned.

"Wouldn't dream of it," Jack said with a small smile.

"I assume you can handle whatever these men may throw at you. Of course, we won't condone actual violence towards you but they may get nasty verbally."

"Oh, I don't doubt that," Jack told him her smile getting even bigger. "Trust me, I can handle these boys. I grew up with two foul mouthed, trigger happy brothers. I'm well trained."

"I'm sure you are," the Sergeant replied with his own smile. This American sure was something. The soldier glanced at the clock on the wall and stood up. "Follow me," he ordered.

"To where?" Jack asked already on her feet.

"The Killing House," came the short reply.

"Well that sounds cheery," she said.

"K-Unit is scheduled to go through it today. It's a good exercise," the Sergeant said as the two started walking.

"What about Cub?" Jack asked curiously.

"What about him?" the soldier asked a little confused.

"What's he gonna do?"

"The Killing House," he said again.

"Oh, why didn't you say that?"

"I did."

"No, you said K-Unit," Jack reminded him.

"Cub is apart of K-Unit," the Sergeant informed her.

"Oh, well you could've fooled me," she said and the Sergeant gave her a strange look.

"How so?"

"Those four are real pricks to him. I understand the hostility but there's really not much of a team there," she replied.

"They're soldiers, he's a boy. What did you expect?"

"How about something a little more professional? Cub may just be a boy but these soldiers obviously can't take things in stride. At least not yet."

"Are you saying our training isn't working?" the Sergeant asked and Jack spared him a smile.

"No, I'm saying that in a world where the weird and unorthodox are flying every which way, these men need to learn that when it smacks you in the face you don't smack back. You take it in stride and you move on and you do what you gotta do." The soldier looked a bit dumbfounded at her words but he shook it off easily.

"That's an interesting perspective," he replied.

"I've been living with Cub for seven years now," she told him. "There aren't many surprises left."

* * *

"Like I said, not much of a team," Jack reiterated while the Sergeant huffed in annoyance. The two were sitting in a rather rickety trailer watching K-Unit's progress through the Killing House. Jack was impressed at how easily they maneuvered through the various traps but any respect they might have gleamed from their display disappeared when Wolf purposefully pushed Alex into a trap. There was dislike and then there was plain mean; Wolf had shown his mean streak. Wolf had also shown what he wanted of Alex, and that was to be binned. "Are you going to bin him?" she asked the glaring Sergeant. The dark man was looking at the monitor waiting for the boy to pick himself up and stumble out.

"Who?" he asked emotionlessly.

"Cub," she replied and looked at her surprised obviously expecting her to demand Wolf's bin.

"No, it wasn't his fault," he replied and Jack tried to wrap her mind around how fair he was being about the whole situation. But she really shouldn't have been expecting anything less; he'd been pretty fair to her.

"Don't bin Wolf either," she said. It wasn't an order but a suggestion and the Sergeant knew it.

"And why not?" he asked. Jack thought he'd already made up his mind and was only appeasing her at this point.

"Well, sir, he's a bastard and his pride is approaching the definition of mutilated but he will be able to do this job well," she said first mock-seriously then for real. The Sergeant didn't reply as Alex had just been able to stumble from the House and he left. Jack smiled coyly then followed.

She reached the Killing House much later than the Sergeant not having the energy or the will to match his long, purposeful stride. Besides, she already knew what would happen. By the time she did reach it, K-Unit (minus Alex) were walking away. Alex spotted her and came over quickly.

"Hey," he said.

"I saw it," she said answering the question she knew he'd eventually ask. He didn't answer her, probably not knowing where to start. "He bin anyone?" she asked referring to the Sergeant and he shook his head.

"No, and no punishment duty either. We got off lucky."

"Ohhh, no," Jack said her usual smile coming back onto her face. "You got lucky; Wolf is a different story entirely."

"What are you planning?" he asked stiffly, already worried for the SAS-in-training soldier. Alex didn't like him but very few people deserved a pissed off Jack.

"A little of this, a little of that," she replied.

"Jack," he said a hard edge to his voice he hadn't had before coming to Brecon Beacons. At least she knew he'd learned something. "Please, don't hurt anyone and get me binned. MI6 will be pissed."

"Don't worry, Cubby," she said cheerfully and he winced at the latest nickname. "He'll be fine a few days." He looked as if he was going to say more but Jack held up a hand in front of his face to keep him quiet. "Just make sure you don't eat the pig food. Stick to your fruits and veggies. Then you'll grow big and strong." Ignoring his shocked and confused look she gave him a quick peck on the cheek and walked away.

* * *

When Jack made it back to the hut she found K-Unit on a rare but somewhat deserved break. They ignored her and she them until she reached Wolf's cot. She stared at him blankly until he looked at her.

"What?" he growled and the other men looked over as well.

"Nice team work today," she said still with a blank, yet unnaturally, intense stare. Had Wolf been any lesser of a man he'd have squirming at this point.

"What are you talking about?" he asked his brows lifted in mock surprise.

"You forgot the cameras," she said coldly and watched with some satisfaction as the soldier's face returned to it's usual stone-like state. "Did you really think no one would know?"

"What is she talking about?" Eagle asked. Fox and Snake shared a confused glance but remained silent.

"Nothing came of it," Wolf said ignoring his Unit.

"Exactly," she agreed. "So what was the point? Other than to piss people off?" Wolf remained silent and Jack shook her head before going to her own cot.

"What'd ya do?" Eagle asked thoroughly interested.

"Nothing," Wolf said and Jack let out a sarcastic snort.

"Please, Wolf's pride got a sledgehammer taken to it so he had to do something to fix it," she said. Wolf sent his best glare, the one that made even Snake nervous, but something Jack wasn't afraid of at all. Call it bravery or insanity but Jack wasn't scared of these SAS men in the slightest. If Blunt had given her that glare she would have backed off immediately not wanting to provoke him. These men were different; she most certainly couldn't take them in a fight, even if they weren't in their current near exhausted state, but it was all too easy for her to mess with their heads. They were soldiers but not the brightest people on the planet.

"What are you talking about?" Eagle asked her giving up on Wolf as a source of information.

"Figure it out," she said never taking her gaze off Wolf. "It's not that hard."

"Why don't you just tell us?" Fox asked finally jumping in the conversation.

"No," Jack said simply.

"Why not?" Snake asked and Jack gave them her best twisted grin. Eagle looked nervous but Snake and Fox were able to hide their feelings better. Wolf, however, had to glance away for a second and Jack almost busted out laughing at all of them. She had to give Wolf some credit though. She'd learned this blank stare routine from Ian and while it lacked his MI6 brilliance, it was still pretty solid.

"It's more fun to watch you squirm," she said and this time K-Unit all shared an unsure glance. Jack was enjoying herself; she wasn't crazy, just bored and maybe a little mad. She couldn't interfere with Alex's training and there was very little they'd actually let her watch for security reasons. The Sergeant was an interesting source of conversation but he had a job to do. All her books and her Ipod had been destroyed in the fire and there hadn't been any time to go buy anything of any kind of entertainment value. The only thing Brecon Beacons offered her, besides the protection, was a chance to play the classic Rider game. It was a simple game; find a target, figure them out, and proceed to make them as uncomfortable as possible. Alex had done it to her when she'd first shown up and it had taken her weeks, and an explanation from Ian, to figure out why this seven-year-old was acting so psychotic. Everyone who knew them no longer fell for it as they had either figured out had been told about it long ago. Looking back Jack figured it was another one of Ian's training exercises for Alex and Jack had just picked it up.

"You're insane," Eagle deadpanned.

"Oh honey, you ain't seen nothing yet," she said with a smile, her gaze finally losing its intense blankness. "And I'm not really the one to worry about."

"Then who?" Fox asked.

"All I know I learned from Cub," she said. "Get on the wrong side of him and you'll be lucky to leave this place with your health much less your career."

"What could Cub possibly do to us?" Wolf asked a little arrogantly.

"Well, let's just say there's a reason MI6 want him so bad," Jack replied with a smirk at K-Unit. She could see the tendrils of uneasiness start to form. This was going to be fun.

* * *

Next Chapter: Jack's revenge for Wolf's stunt


	3. Mess Hall Maddness

* * *

This story is a lot of fun to write! Like seriously! Oh, and this takes place before Stormbreaker during ALex's intial bout of training.

_St. Danger: _This is most definatly 'sick'. ;)

**Disclaimer: I do not own Alex Rider.**

* * *

Alex felt his stomach clench with nerves as he got his food. When the man put the slop on his tray he looked at it critically, trying to figure out what Jack had done to it. It looked the same as always, gross but normal. He took his tray back to the table where he and K-Unit always sat.

Jack was already there and it was her presence, if nothing else, which kept him from blurting out to K-Unit that they should stop eating the slop. It wasn't that he liked them, he didn't want to get binned, or killed. K-Unit was a lot bigger than him. Not to mention, that if Jack _had_ done something to the food, every other trainee was eating it too. At that thought, Alex's stomach clenched again and he resisted his urge to rat Jack out to the Sergeant.

"You're not eating much, Cub," Jack said much louder than necessary. No one appeared to be listening though.

"Not hungry," he replied quietly, eyeing K-Unit. He was looking for a sign of anything. Surely Jack wouldn't poison them? That was extreme even for her, but, then again, Jack had always loved to do things the opposite way of what people expected. That was just part of who she was; she hated stereotypes and did everything she could to mess them up. She often made herself look insane in the process.

Jack was also almost as well trained as Alex in the arts of manipulation and mind games. Seven years in Ian's house tended to do that to a person. If Jack had been any different she probably never would have been able to blackmail her way here.

Jack was scary when she was mad but Alex had never thought of her as dangerous before. However, the woman could hold her own in this Hell Camp of soldiers; maybe she was a force to be reckoned with.

Alex wondered if Brecon Beacons stored rat poison and God forbid if Jack should get her hands on it.

* * *

Late that night when everyone was supposed to be asleep, Alex was awoken with a loud exclamation of, "Fuck!" The boy's eyes snapped opened instantly, fully awake and alert.

Sitting up, Alex saw something he'd never thought possible. Snake and Fox were both curled up on their cots, clutching their stomachs, and attempting deep breaths through their obvious pain. Wolf was sitting up on his cot but he was hunched over looking as if he was about to throw up at any moment. Eagle was on the floor, having tried to make it to the door and failing miserably. All four had a sheen of sweat on their faces despite the cold. Alex wondered how high their fevers were.

"My god," he breathed shocked at the condition of the seemingly indestructible team.

"Oh honey, you can call me Jack," a voice to his right said and Alex gave a small jump. He hadn't expected her to be awake. She was sitting on her cot Indian style with the hood of her black hoodie pulled up.

"What did you do?" he asked her and she looked at him.

"Gave them a taste of their own sour medicine," she replied. Eagle let out a loud moan from the floor and Alex threw off his blanket to put his boots on. K-Unit probably needed medical attention. He was half-way through the second boot when the door to their hut was practically taken off its hinges the trainer opened it so hard. Alex sprang to his feet, standing at attention instantly. They gave him no notice.

Two trainers entered and immediately went to Snake and Fox as they were closer. They felt their pulses, and then helped them stand up from their cots.

"You two sick?" one of them asked Alex and Jack on his way to the door.

"No, sir," Alex replied.

"Bring the other two," he said. Jack got off her cot, put her sneakers on, and crossed over to Wolf. Ignoring his glare, she threw his arm over her shoulders and helped the man to stand. Alex pulled Eagle up from the floor and they all followed the two trainers back to the mess hall.

When they entered Alex was sure he would be binned at any moment. Every trainee was in the exact same condition as K-Unit. Some were sitting in chairs, heads hanging over buckets, others were lying on the floor or on tables while one of the camp's doctors looked over them trying to figure out what was wrong.

"Cub! Jack!" the Sergeant's voice was loud and very angry as he called them over. Alex and Jack put Wolf and Eagle in some chairs and crossed the room to where the Sergeant, another trainer, and the day-time doctor were standing.

"Yes, sir," they both said when they reached the group.

"Care to tell us why you two aren't sick?" he asked with faux-casualness.

"We didn't eat, sir," Alex replied instantly, not wanting to provoke the man with their usual frustrating conversations.

"Eat?" the doctor said confused.

"Yes, sir, we didn't eat the slop, sir," Alex said and the doctor let a sigh of relief.

"That means it's just food poisoning," he said. "Thank god, we thought it might be something else."

"Why didn't you eat?" the Sergeant asked suspiciously, clearly thinking they had something to do with the current state of his trainees. He was half right.

"I wasn't hungry, sir," Alex said knowing the lie would never fool the man.

"I don't eat pig food," Jack said observing her nails. The Sergeant narrowed his eyes at them but didn't say anything. He stalked off, probably to yell at the cook. Jack looked up at the doctor.

"Is there anything we can do to help out?" she asked him.

"Yes," the man replied instantly. "We need to get their fevers down. Whatever this is it's bad. They're in a lot of pain and some of them are even getting delirious. Someone's at the infirmary now, he'll bring all the medicine we'll use. When he gets back you can help distribute it out."

"Yes, sir," they replied, and then went back over to where K-Unit was. K-Unit wasn't as sick as the others as they had been late to dinner; a training exercise had run into overtime. The four men were in their own isolated corner since they'd been the last ones to be brought in. Jack immediately crossed over to Wolf and squatted down so that she was eye level with the soldier now on the floor. Alex came up right behind her really not wanting to miss her latest game despite his nervousness over being binned. The other men looked at her as well, clearly expecting something.

"How does it feel Wolf?" she asked quietly. "To know you're the reason all these men are sick."

"You did this?" he asked shocked, although he really shouldn't have been.

"No," she said and Wolf instantly looked at Alex. "He didn't either."

"Than who did?" Fox groaned.

"Your team leader," Jack told him.

"What are you talking about?" Wolf asked frustrated with her games. "I didn't poison the other trainees and I certainly didn't poison myself."

"Maybe not literally," Jack said. "But you're the one to blame. You're the one that decided to play nasty. You're the one that decided to stab a teammate in the back. This is what people call karma."

"This is because of what happened at the Killing House?" Wolf asked realizing why Jack had done this to them. She nodded but it was Snake who spoke first.

"You tried to get Cub binned, didn't you?" Snake asked his teammate and then winced in pain. Wolf didn't answer.

"He did," Jack said. "Betrayal is a nasty thing. You may not want him on your team but he's here and it's past time you deal with it. The world is full of nasty surprises, Wolf."

"He doesn't belong here," Wolf replied clutching his stomach with a gasp. "He's just a boy."

"He's a boy with a job to do," Jack told him. "I don't like it anymore than you do but there's nothing either one of us can do about it. This happened because you couldn't deal with whatever it is you have against Cub. You tried to get him binned and that can't happen. You're dealing with a whole different crowd now, honey. I suggest that you start acting like the soldier and the leader you're being trained to be or shit like this is going to keep happening. The next time it does, it probably won't be me; it'll be a terrorist with a bomb. This job is a big responsibility Wolf, and you need to learn that it takes a little more than brute strength to shoulder that responsibility."

"Jack," Alex said sharply cutting her off. The trainer had come back from the infirmary and was headed their way. Jack stood up quickly and faced the soldier.

"Make sure they swallow these," he said handing her a bottle of pills. "Two each. And use these," he handed Alex a bucket with ice packs in it, "to get the fevers down." The man walked away and the two of them started distributing the pills and ice packs to K-Unit and two other units sitting near by. The other trainees were being taken care of by the trainers and the doctors. The Sergeant still had yet to come back.

Jack and Alex moved between the soldiers for over two hours, taking temperatures and shoving buckets under those who were about to puke. A great many of them would periodically take off to the bathrooms just outside the mess hall clutching their stomachs and swearing profusely. Alex had no desire to find out what that bathroom smelled like and even thinking about it made _his_ stomach roll. They passed out bottles of water and forced the soldiers to drink so they wouldn't dehydrate.

Most had fallen into a feverish sleep but Eagle had gone delirious and actually lunged at Jack, yelling something about getting the person who'd set the purple whale after him. Alex had pulled Jack away just as one of the trainers knocked the soldier out with a hard punch to the temple. They tied Eagle to a table after that.

The sun was already rising before Alex had a moment to talk to Jack. The two were sitting tiredly in a corner leaning against the wall, watching the sick trainees as they slept.

"What did you put in the food?" Alex asked hoping the American would actually give an answer.

"The first day I got here, I hadn't eaten anything in about fourteen hours," she started. "The Sergeant sent me to the kitchens to get something to eat. I was digging around in one of the big, walk in fridges they have back there and I found a really, really old jug of milk that was hidden behind some canisters."

"How old?" Alex asked already amused.

"About six months out of date," she replied and let out a small laugh at Alex's look of disgust. "Yeah, the milk was grey and almost solid."

"Why didn't you throw it away?" he asked and she shrugged.

"I thought it could come in handy," she said. "If anybody got too rough I figured it would bring them down a peg or two."

"It did its job," Alex noted glancing at the still feverish Wolf.

"It certainly did," Jack said. "Anyways, after the Killing House thing went down, I snuck back in here and dumped the entire thing in the slop they'd just cooked for the next meal. The pot was big enough so that the milk wouldn't change the color or anything but the bacteria still had a nasty impact."

"You think Wolf learned his lesson?" Alex asked after a slight pause.

"I think he still has a ways to go," Jack said. "He's a little too bitter at the moment to actually think about what it means."

"So, you're training them now too?" he replied jokingly. Jack smiled at him but became serious when she answered.

"There's so much potential with these men," she said. "They could really help people; could really do their job well. Our arrival has messed with their heads and their expectations. They need to learn to take things in stride; most don't learn that lesson until they're actually in the field."

"Maybe," Alex said. "K-Unit is strong and they work really well together. All of this random shit that keeps popping up is throwing them off balance."

"Which is exactly what they can't allow to happen," Jack said. "The real world isn't on military schedule and it certainly doesn't care if the situation you find yourself in is unorthodox or not. Besides, I think you may cross paths with these men again if MI6 still wants to use you and you haven't died."

"Terrific," Alex said sarcastically. "A Hell Camp reunion, every fourteen-year-old's dream come true." Jack stifled a laugh and gave him a playful push.

"Smart ass," she said.

"I try," he said. The Sergeant entered the mess hall at that point and they immediately sobered up and stood. The dark man spotted them and walked over. Ignoring Alex completely, the man glared at Jack, who didn't even blink.

"Did you poison my trainees?" It was an accusation in question form.

"What makes you think that?" Jack asked innocently. The Sergeant held up a milk jug that Alex hadn't noticed before. "What of it?" Jack shrugged.

"Wolf wasn't the only one to forget about the cameras," the man said taking a threatening step towards them. "We caught you on camera."

"It took you this long to figure it out?" Jack asked amused and Alex about let out a groan. Of all the times to provoke someone.

"No," he hissed at her. "We were more preoccupied with figuring out where they were poisoned. The cook only just suggested we look at the cameras in the kitchen."

"What makes you think I just forgot that they were there?" Jack asked still in that amused tone. "Didn't you catch my wink?" Alex's heart just about stopped at that. She'd purposefully made sure that the Sergeant would know it was her who'd made the soldiers sick and not Alex. "I told Cub not to eat the food. He had no clue what I'd done to it."

"Is there a reason you didn't come foreword?" the Sergeant asked rounding on Alex. Alex thought the question a little unnecessary. "Even if you didn't know this would be the extent of what would happen?" The soldier made a gesture to the room at large. Alex glanced past him and saw Fox, Snake, and Wolf looking at them and listening. Eagle was still unconscious and the other trainees were too far away to hear anything.

"She has the power to ground me, sir," Alex replied. The Sergeant narrowed his eyes but Alex saw Fox and Snake send amused glances to each other.

"You're lucky I don't bin you," he said to Alex then turned to Jack. "I should have you thrown out of this camp."

"With all due respect, sir," Jack said. "You don't have the authority to do so. Just think of it as another training exercise. Now they know what dysentery feels like." The Sergeant sent them one last glare before he turned and walked out throwing the empty milk jug into the metal trash can by the door with a clang. Jack smirked at the retreating soldier and then looked down at K-Unit on the floor.

"Let's see," she said a finger to her lips in a thoughtful manner. "What else can I do to you?" Fox groaned, Snake glared, and Wolf looked away. Alex was a little surprised to see that he looked humbled. Jack was good at this. He looked at her slightly twisted and expression and realized something.

"You're playing the Rider game, aren't you?" he asked amused.

"We can't play it at home anymore," she said with a smile. "Everyone there figured it out ages ago. Besides, it's more of a challenge with these guys."

"I guess so," Alex said. "You should see if you can do it to Blunt." Jack's face lit up at the challenge.

"That would be so much fun."

* * *

Hope you enjoyed that!

Next Chapter: Jack shows off some of _her_ skills.


	4. Shoot Shoot!

Hey everyone! Long time no update! Sry, but school has been kicking my ass lately so updates will few and far between till summer. Anyway, hope you guys enjoy this.

**Disclaimer: I do Not own Alex Rider**

* * *

Brecon Beacons was hell. Jack was sure of it. Not only was she no longer allowed into the Mess Hell, she had to follow K-Unit to wherever they were going to be. The Sergeant had refused to let her go three feet near the building since she'd poisoned his trainees and she was now taking meals in his office, with him. He also wasn't losing sight of her for more than an hour at a time unless she was sleeping. She'd protested but the man was adamant about her not causing more trouble.

"Just take away all my fun, why don't ya?" she said sarcastically.

"We have a schedule to keep Jack," the man replied. "We can't afford for you to screw it up anymore than you already have. And don't even think about complaining to MI6 because I'm sure they'll only back me up." Jack mustered up her most offended look.

"Excuse me," she said, glaring at the soldier. "But I in no way need MI6 to fight my battles."

"Isn't that why you're here?" he asked. "Because they're fighting your battle against whoever brunt your house down."

"That wasn't my battle," she said vehemently. "It's not my fault the boys I work for like to make enemies."

"What are you talking about?" he asked sounding a little confused.

"Don't judge what you don't understand," Jack told him.

"Who's judging?" he replied. "I'm just making an observation."

"No, you're judging," she said. "I'm here for a reason. And it's not because my battles are out of control. It's because I've been caught up in someone else's"

"Whose?"

"Nobody you'd know," she replied.

"Try me," he said.

"No."

"Don't trust me?" he asked quietly and Jack wasn't sure if he was yanking her chain or not. She decided he was.

"No further than I could throw you," she replied and received a smile. Apparently, that was exactly the answer he'd expected. The subject was dropped after that and they never breached it again.

Because she was on a proverbial leash and the Sergeant was always near K-Unit she got to see more training than she'd originally thought she'd be able to. However, Alex himself wasn't always there; like when they were at the shooting range. He wasn't allowed to even be near the range according to the Sergeant.

And that was where Jack found herself at the moment. That damned shooting range where she got to stand there and watch four men shoot at targets. Talk about boring.

The soldier doing the shooting training came to report to the Sergeant who then went down to talk to K-Unit. Or belittle them. You could argue it either way.

"That was quite the prank you pulled," the shooter soldier said and Jack glanced at him sideways. He was a typical SAS man, big, muscular, and hard to read.

"Thank you," she replied not sure of what else to say.

"It wasn't a compliment," he said and while his tone was flat Jack could tell he wasn't happy with her. Him and every other male in the compound, meaning everyone.

"Sounded like one," she shot back.

"Tell me, why poison everyone?" he asked.

"It was easier," she said. At his look, she continued. "To poison just the people I wanted would have been too difficult. I couldn't do it at the table and they don't let their food out of their sight once it's in their hands. So I just messed with the food as a whole."

"Bit overkill," he noted.

"True," Jack replied. "But it got the job done."

"Do you work for the government?" he asked. To him she seemed like the kind of person who should be in intelligence work.

"Not directly," she replied.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I work for someone who works for the government," she said.

"Cub?"

"Cub."

"Why?" Jack considered her answer carefully. What could she say that would make his curiosity satisfied but not give anything away? Everyone was curious about Cub. Who wouldn't be?

"Someone has to make sure he eats his veggies and does his homework," she replied. The two fell silent after that as K-Unit resumed their shooting and the trainer had to watch. The Sergeant returned to their observing spot about five meters behind the Unit and after twenty or so minutes Jack was ready to burst.

This was so unfair! There had been no permanent damage except to pride and egos and the trainees had all resumed light training by noon the next day. Wolf had even stopped glaring at her and Alex. That was quite an accomplishment in her book, not something to be punished. It all would have tolerable if she wasn't so freaking BORED!

"I'm bored," she voiced.

"Too bad," the Sergeant growled.

"There has to be something I can do," Jack pushed. "I'll even file shit."

"No."

"Ugh! You are so impossible!" she exclaimed.

"Stop being stupid," the Sergeant snapped. The two glared at each other until the American had to blink in order to save her eyeballs.

"Fine," she growled. "Train me."

"Excuse me?" the Sergeant asked, confused.

"You heard me," Jack replied. "Train me."

"Why would I train you?" The Sergeant asked. Jack paused trying to come up with a valid reason.

"Because I'm here, I'm in danger, and I need to be able to protect myself," she said.

"Take kick boxing lessons," he said a bit snidely.

"That's not the same," she said. "At least let me practice on my own."

"Practice what?" The Sergeant asked clearly not expecting her to know how to do anything SAS related.

"My aim," she said nodding in the direction of the shooting range.

"You can shoot?" the trainer asked. Jack turned towards him to see that he was genuinely surprised.

"Yes, I can," she said simply.

"How good are you?" he asked.

"Doesn't matter," The Sergeant interrupted. "I'm not giving her a gun."

"Why not?" Jack asked. "I won't shoot anybody."

"Sir, what harm could it do?" the trainer asked only to be on the receiving end of one intense glare.

"C'mon," Jack said. "I know how to handle a gun." The Sergeant turned back to scrutinize her. She didn't really expect him to allow her to practice but she was hoping. She hadn't been to a shooting range since before Ian died nearly a month ago. She'd be lying if she didn't say that she enjoyed the thrill of being in the range. She'd been taught for purely self-defense reasons but feeling the power of the gun gave her a rush she rarely found anywhere else. She enjoyed it but prayed she'd never have to use that skill even though it was starting to look as if that was no longer an option.

"Where did you learn to shoot?" the Sergeant asked.

"D.C.P.D.," she replied.

"Father a cop?" he asked.

"Yes, sir," she replied laying on the respect hoping it would help him to agree. "Older brothers too." He took another moment to decide.

"Alright," he said, though he still sounded a little unsure. He nodded to the trainer while she beamed at the prospect of ending her boredom. The trainer handed her a semi-automatic and she let it dangle at her side while waiting for another target sheet to be set up.

When everything was in position, Jack stepped up to the firing line, took aim, and emptied the clip. By the time the red head was done all the men were staring. She turned and gave a sweet smile at the sight of six soldiers practically gaping at her.

"What?" she said. "I told you I could shoot."

"You never said you were that good!" the trainer said. Apparently they hadn't expected her to hit bulls-eye every time much less once.

K-Unit looked genuinely surprised at her skill. Jack gave a little frown. Was it really that hard to believe? She looked over at the Sergeant who had taken on a more calculating look as he eyed the target behind her.

"What else can you do?" he asked.

"I make a mean omelet," she replied and the man rolled his eyes. Jack couldn't really do anything SAS related except shoot. She was more of a brains over brawn type of girl. Although, Eagle did look kinda cute and she wasn't entirely sure if he had full use of his mental capabilities. But the same thing could be said about her.

"What about Cub?" the Sergeant asked.

"What about him?" she replied.

"Does he have the same skill?" he asked gesturing at the mangled target. Jack nodded.

"I made sure of it," she replied. Alex didn't have the same love for the shooting range that she had but he could defiantly shoot as well, if not better than, her. The Sergeant continued to have the same thoughtful expression. Jack wondered just what the man was up to.

* * *

"That was awesome!" Eagle exclaimed. They were all back in the hut sitting on their respective cots. Alex still had yet to return from whatever it was he was doing. Alex's MI6 status meant a slightly different training than K-Unit. He'd told her while they were learning to shoot each other he was learning how to cover it up. Jack wasn't sure what he meant by that and was almost positive she didn't really want to know but would probably find out anyway.

"I can't believe you can shoot that well," Snake said.

"How'd you get that good?" Wolf asked. Jack was no where near the level these men would be at, at the end of their training but for a supposed 'civilian' she was very good. K-Unit's training called for more precision and subtlety. Her training called for shooting the gun wielding thug as many times as it takes. The joys of inner city cop work.

"Practice," she replied vacantly, staring at the door. Where was that boy? She was tired of never knowing what he was doing or where he was. She supposed she should get used to it.

"You okay Jack?" Fox asked seemingly understanding her mood. She looked back over to him.

"Do you know where Cub is?" she asked trying to keep her voice as neutral as possible.

"Doing some special training," Fox replied. Jack nodded her head and turned back towards the door. Not the answer she was looking for. Jack gave a small sigh as the conversation continued without her. She didn't pay attention.

Jack had suddenly been struck by the reality of what was happening. Well, she had known but the shooting range had forced her to _know_.

Alex Rider was training to be a spy. A teenage, fourteen-year-old spy. Soon he would be shipped off to Only-Blunt-Knows-Where to do Only-Blunt-Knows-What. She wondered how long he'd be gone. Would have to do anything like K-Unit was supposed to do?

Jack had told Wolf that he needed to understand that shit happens and that he should just take it in stride. She was now finding it hard to swallow her own words. Alex was anything but orthodox. How long before this strange teen got hurt? Or worse, dead?

Their house had already been burnt to the ground. She was on the run from one of Ian's enemies. Alex was about to make enemies of his own. Powerful enemies, if Blunt's uninformative riddles were interpreted correctly.

Jack gave another sigh as it started to rain again. They were so screwed.

* * *

Next Chapter: Jack helps Wolf with something.


	5. Friendly Advice

**Disclaimer: I do not own Alex Rider.**

* * *

Alex wandered into the hut a few hours after dinner exhausted and dirty. He'd taken a shower but it didn't do much good. The hike they'd gone on was brutal and his shoulders were killing him from where the backpack had dug into them. He was rather looking forward to sleeping in the cot. The hard and wet Welsh ground had done nothing for his mounting ache and pains.

He was the last one in that night and he immediately collapsed on his cot ignoring the glares going between Jack and the Unit. He could honestly care less about what they were fighting about now.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jack asked voice low. Alex recognized that tone. He usually got grounded when she started to use it. Without rolling off his stomach, Alex moved his head so he could watch the five adults.

"I think it's pretty obvious," Wolf growled leaning against the wall behind his cot, arms crossed.

"No, I don't think it is," she replied.

"What's going on?" Alex asked.

"Oh, just the usual," Jack said flippantly. "Wolf's being an ass." Wolf's glare, if possible, intensified. Eagle looked like he wanted to laugh. Snake and Fox just looked tired.

"Why do you look like you want to hit him?" Alex pressed. Nobody answered him and Alex felt a little uneasy. What the hell was going on? "Jack?"

"Tell him," Wolf commanded. Jack just tilted her chin up in defiance. "Fine." The soldier turned towards Alex. "She almost got you binned."

"What?" Alex asked shocked. How the hell had she managed that?

"It was an accident," Jack said defensively. "It's not my fault he's a pig. And I did not almost get Cubbie binned!" Alex winced at the nickname. God, he hated that name.

"Don't call me that," he whined. Eagle ducked his head to hide his smile. "What did you do?"

"Broke Wasp's nose," Fox said when Jack crossed her arms and kept silent.

"Why?" Alex asked not entirely if the answer was worth knowing.

"Many reasons," Jack replied looking at her nails in an attempt to seem unbothered but Alex saw through it. "He was asking for it."

"Didn't you just say it was an accident?" Eagle asked.

"Yes, I did," Jack replied. "I broke it accidentally but karma broke it on purpose." Alex's eyes narrowed at her response. Jack had never been into the whole karma thing before. Why was she suddenly trying to write things off as the fault of the universe? Alex knew she was up to something, but what?

"What are you playing at?" he said slowly. She turned towards him fully and the two had a brief staring contest.

"Nothing that you need to worry about," she said. She wouldn't give, not in front of the Unit, so Alex decided to let it rest until they could talk alone.

"Oh, okay," Alex replied then put his head on his pillow fully prepared to go to sleep.

"That's all you have to say that?" Eagle asked his voice sounding a little shocked.

"Yes," Alex replied not even bothering to open his eyes. Jack let out a giggle.

"It's not like he's gonna care," she said.

"Why not?" Fox asked. "It's kinda important."

"Not really," Jack told him. "Cub probably expected something like this to happen anyway. The Sergeant did." Alex fell asleep during the silence that followed that statement.

* * *

"Did you really expect it?" Eagle asked the next morning at breakfast. Alex looked up at him. Eagle was staring at a soldier on the other end of the cafeteria style table who had a purple and swollen nose. Wasp looked their way feeling Eagle's stare. Alex gave him a rather twisted smile and the soldier narrowed his eyes but turned away.

Well, that settled that. Alex had a theory that Jack had done something else besides break the man's nose. She'd brought the man into the Rider game. He wondered how long it would take for this guy to crack. K-Unit seemed to be doing alright but after the whole poisoning thing Jack had laid off a little bit. Wasp was another story entirely. Not for the first time did Alex wonder just what the guy had gone to piss Jack off so completely.

He'd asked, hell, they'd _all_ asked, but the red head wouldn't say how the nose had been broken or why. He'd figure it out sooner or later.

"Expect what?" Alex asked innocently. Jack wasn't there, being forced to eat with the Sergeant and all, so now was the safest time to talk.

"You know," Eagle said turning and pinning Alex with the glare he was now accustomed to.

"You don't mess with Jack," the boy shrugged.

"So you did expect it?" Eagle pressed. Alex noticed the other three listening intently.

"I did," he finally said giving a little. "Jack knows how to hold her own. She's not gonna just let the people here get away with shit just because you're SAS. In case you haven't noticed, she's not afraid of you."

"How'd she even do it?" Fox asked jumping into the conversation. Alex shrugged again.

"Ask her," he advised. They didn't look they wanted to and Alex had to fight down sudden laughter. Were they _scared?_

"Stop smiling Cub," Wolf growled. "This isn't funny."

"Lighten up Wolf," Alex threw back. "Jack was right, you do have a stick up your arse." He ignored the shocked looks at the sudden outburst, picked up his tray, emptied it, and left.

Three hours later Alex met up with Jack at the shooting range. The news of Jack's skill had spread like wildfire in the camp, almost as fast as the news of her arrival. That, combined with Wasp's broken nose, seemed to have thrown Jack into a new light. She was no longer the hot tag along in K-Unit. She was the hot chick you did not want to mess with.

Alex thought the sudden turn around was hysterical. He'd known Jack could hold her own in this camp of soldiers but more importantly he knew Jack. Fighting prowess aside, Jack's vindictiveness was normally enough to scare away any potential enemy. The Rider game had honed her skills of manipulation, which had been great before she'd ever even set foot in England. Alex had always thought she's make a good spy.

As he drew level with Jack and the Sergeant at the shooting range's viewing area a sudden thought hit him hard. What was Jack playing at? Suddenly Alex didn't quite believe her reasons for being there entirely. Short term goals for this visit to Brecon Beacons would be screwing with the trainees' heads, getting back at Blunt, and making sure her ward was in one piece. Long term goals were something he had yet to figure out. Alex knew Jack well enough to know that something else was going on. She was planning something. She had an end goal. What was it?

"Jack," he said in greeting.

"Cub," she replied. The two ignored the Sergeant who in turn ignored them. Both K-Unit and B-Unit were on the range. Alex saw Wasp and his sharp eyes caught the stiffness in the man's shoulders. He knew they were watching.

"What are you doing here?" Alex asked suddenly. He didn't care if the Sergeant heard. Knowing Jack, it wouldn't even matter. She'd been here for over a week and if she wanted anything to be set in motion, it probably already was.

"Hiding from your uncle's enemies," she said without skipping a beat.

"Bullshit," he hissed. Neither of them looked away from the range as they watched the soldiers shoot. "You're here for something else."

"What makes you say that?" she asked sounding amused.

"I know you," he said. She gave a small laugh.

"What do you think I'm doing?" she asked him.

"I couldn't possibly guess," he said honestly. His mind was much too tired for the complexities of Jack's endgame.

"I'm sure you could, Cub," she replied. "It's all there for you."

"So, you are up to something," he stated. It was as good as a confession coming from Jack. He doubted he'd get anything straight forward until he confronted her with his solution. Alex gave a brief thought to how he'd lived his life since before he could remember. Everything was a riddle wrapped in a mystery with endgames and wordplays. Even in the most laid back family moments there was always an undercurrent to the motives and words of those around him. Growing up that way, while not making him the predicted paranoid, had made him skillful at recognizing true motives from fake ones. Ian had called it their slight of hand

Alex had always been surrounded by people who would never come right out and admit a motive. Hell, even Tom knew about and played the Rider game. They'd been friends for long enough that he'd picked up on it, thinking it was cool.

"I never said I was," Jack said cutting into his thoughts.

"You never said you weren't," he replied. "The karma thing is new for you. So are the pranks and the crazy attitude. You're putting on a show for the soldiers here. Slight of hand, Jack." Alex glanced sideways and saw the smile spread across her face as he called her out. Instead of replying to him she turned back towards the Sergeant.

"I'll be in your office," she told him. He nodded once and she left. When she was gone the Sergeant turned towards Alex his face a complete mask.

"What are you thinking Cub?" he asked. Alex shrugged.

"A lot, sir," he said. "She's up to something."

"Like what?" he demanded clearly remembering the incident with the spoiled milk.

"I'm not sure sir."

"Find out," the man instructed.

"Yes, sir." With that the Sergeant turned back to finish watching the trainees. When the man left to speak with the fire arms trainer, Alex took the chance to leave.

* * *

Alex moved through the woods behind K-Unit's hut with all the stealth of a practiced SAS soldier and then some. It was a common joke of his friend, Tom, to call him a Ninja. According to the other boy, Alex was as quiet as silence. Alex couldn't help but roll his eyes at his friend's poetic license. It needed to be revoked.

Sneaking under an open window (they had to air the place out or it would stink beyond human breaking point) Alex listened hard. Jack was playing at something and he had to know what. It was impossible to tell if the plan had been devised before she came or after, but the woman did have a plan. She'd practically admitted it twice now.

Jack wasn't just pulling pranks anymore, she was playing the real version of the Rider game. The one you played on enemies in life and death situations. The one Ian Rider had warned them to always be careful with. The one he wouldn't have the balls to pull off, not here with these men. He couldn't run the risk of being binned.

"What the hell do you want from me?" Alex heard Wolf almost shout. The boy winced just imagining the glare that was accompanying that shout. Alex refused to show any fear of Wolf on any level to anyone, but he had to admit that the man did make him nervous.

"I think you know," Jack said her voice hard and flat but at a normal level, volume wise. A quick glance through the window showed that the two were alone. Wolf had left dinner early with Alex right behind him. Jack apparently hadn't gone at all.

"No, I don't," the man said his own voice going low and dangerous. Alex tensed and wondered if he'd be taking Jack to the infirmary. The idea was discarded almost instantly. Wolf wouldn't hurt Jack either out of fear of being binned or a moral hang up.

"You're playing at something. I know you are." That shocked Alex. He hadn't expected anyone else to recognize Jack's sneaking around besides him and maybe the Sergeant. Maybe he didn't give the man enough credit.

"I'm not playing at anything," Jack said.

"Yes, you are," Wolf replied. "What is it? Trying to get us binned?"

"This isn't about you!" Jack shouted finally snapping.

"Then what is it about?" Wolf asked.

"Like you would care," Jack stated.

"Is it about Cub?" Alex leaned forward a little at that. Wolf's voice could be described as understanding in tone.

"What do you care if it is?" Jack said. "It's really none of your business."

"It is my business," Wolf said firmly and Alex's eyebrows bunched in complete confusion. How was anything about Alex's life his business? Jack agreed with him in his confusion.

"What the hell do you mean it's your business?" she demanded.

"Because like it or not, he's apart of this Unit," Wolf said. Alex felt a small smirk on his face at that. Was it just him or had Jack's post-poisoning lesson actually worked? Jack just gave a false little laugh.

"He'll never be apart of this Unit," she said almost sadly. "As much as I would love for the four of you to have his back in the field, you'll probably never see us again."

"What are you doing here? Really? I want the truth." There was a small silence after the question.

"I can't tell you," Jack said.

"Why not?" the soldier demanded.

"Some things you just shouldn't ask about," she replied vaguely.

"Cut it out with the riddles," he snapped. "You said yourself that you're running from enemies. What's going on?"

"I'm in hiding!" came a sudden shout. Alex was shocked, he'd never heard her so emotional, so angry. "He just died and now I'm trying to look after some super spy kid. He should be in school!"

"You're trying to get him binned," Wolf said but even he sounded doubtful about that.

"No," Jack said quickly. "Never binned. Not for any of you."

"Then what?" he snapped. Alex could tell that Wolf was fast approaching the end of his patience. Not that he'd ever had much anyway. "What are you trying to do?"

"I'm here to help," she said quietly. Alex had to strain to hear it. Why was she telling all this to Wolf? Did she honestly trust the guy that much? Or was she just desperate to talk? Alex would be the first to admit that the last month hadn't been an easy one but he hadn't really considered Jack.

He felt bad about admitting that but she had been a rock. Never changing and always there. Alex depended on her to be there and then he realized that she had known that. She had been that rock, even if it meant that she was suddenly the one to bury all emotion and turmoil until the breaking point. She and Ian had been close friends, best friends even. She was in just as much pain as Alex was.

"Help with what?" Wolf asked confused. He was completely oblivious to the epiphany Alex had just had.

"I think you know," she said her voice suddenly returning to its normal tone. The tone that made you think that she knew something you didn't. "Think about it Wolf. What have I been doing here?"

"Poisoning people and breaking noses," he replied instantly.

"What else?" she pressed. She was making him think, coming to the conclusion himself. Alex wished the man luck because he wasn't having any. What was this psycho American doing?

"Giving advice?" he asked.

"Is that an answer or a question?" she asked sounding amused.

"Answer," he said.

"Yes," she said. "Now let me give you a little more. Pretty soon, probably in a few days, Cub will leave. You won't know when and you probably won't see it. I'll leave at the same time. You won't see us for awhile, if at all."

"What's your point?" he asked.

"Don't ever forget what you've learned here."

"What are you talking about? You're not supposed to forget training," he said rather dumbly. Alex shook his head; he'd been doing so well.

"I'm not talking about what you learned from them, I'm talking about you learned from us," she told him patiently.

"Take the strange shit life throws at you and move on?" he asked.

"Exactly," Jack said. "You and your Unit now have an advantage others don't. You know what people are capable of when no other choice is there. Cub is here because he's Blunt's last option. I'm here because I'm that boy's last chance at normalcy in a place like this."

"Why make him go through all this?" Wolf asked. "He's just a boy. What could be so important?"

"I wish I knew," she said softly. "But I don't and for now I have to live with that. You follow orders well, but you have to know that not everything can be fixed by the orders of your superiors. As you've seen, there is always someone more powerful, someone with the advantage. So, Wolf, tell me what have I been doing?" There was silence as Wolf thought.

Alex thought with him. What had she been doing? Showing up so suddenly she'd thrown a perfectly structured training regime into even more chaos than his sudden appearance had. The milk prank. Alex hadn't been included in that because Jack had told him not eat the food. She'd given him the advantage over the other men to remain healthy. Wasp. The secrecy over the circumstances of his broken nose meant Wolf didn't, couldn't, and wouldn't know everything. So what had she been doing?

"You've been training us," Wolf said shocked at his own revelation.

"The SAS teaches you to shoot guns, to survive impossible circumstances, to fight, to be a team," she said. "But the problem is that you weren't ready for the strange and weird. You weren't ready for psychotic; for someone who knew what you could do and didn't care. You can't play the games Cub and I can. But now you can recognize it."

"Why do you care that we know how to act like Special Ops?" he asked utterly bewildered. "Why us?"

"Because Wolf, like you said, he's apart of your Unit whether you like it or not," she said. "Whether Blunt likes it or not."

"What?"

"You'll have Cub's back," Jack said. "I know you will. After all, what kind of soldier would you be if left one of your own behind?"

"You taught us these games," Wolf said harshly. "So that Cub would have bodygaurds?"

"Not bodygaurds Wolf. He doesn't need that. What he needs is backup," she said. "Take my advice, don't forget what you've learned."

There was another silence for several more minutes. Alex could hear the rest of the Unit walking beck towards the cabin. He was about to bolt so he wouldn't be caught eavesdropping when he caught Wolf's reply.

"I won't."

* * *

Yes, Jack's endgame somewhat revealed. There is one more chapter after this and Jack's little game will be explained more fully. Not very helpy help I know but you have to admit she did help them.

Next Chapter: The Conclusion


	6. As Quickly as they Came

Aww, last chappie! This story was a lot of fun to write and thanks to everyone who followed it. Hope you all enjoyed this. At the moment there will be no sequel, mostly because I'm not of ideas. So yeah, I'm finally on summer vacation so expect updates on my other stories. Hopefully, I'll have the third chapter of Parental Unit up soon. That story has been giving me trouble, for some reason. Probably with trying to make it was original as possible. It's such a used story line. Ugh, anyways, enjoy and review!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Alex Rider**

* * *

Cub was a brat. He the brat Wolf was determined to kick the shit out of as soon as see saw him. Promises be damned, the kid needed a slap upside the head, real, real bad. A slap upside the head or a kick to the arse to send _him_ tumbling out of a plane.

Sure, he'd hesitated. He doesn't like heights all that much and needed an extra moment to gather his wits before jumping for the first time. But that didn't excuse the boy from kicking him out of a plane, thousands of feet in the air.

He'd probably deserved it for all the shit he'd put the boy through in the past eleven days but being kicked out of a plane was hardly necessary. He'd already been poisoned, manipulated, and humiliated, wasn't that enough? But come to think of it, all of that had been Jack and her perpetually annoying game of cat and mouse. This was Cub's revenge.

Wolf gritted his teeth as the thoughts whirled in his head during the hike back to camp. He had an hour long internal debate about Cub and how he should react to this. Too soft and the boy would think he'd gotten away with it but too harsh and not only was there the potential of being binned, but then there was Jack. Wolf had no intention of being on her bad side again. Not after everything he'd seen her do not only to him, but to others. They still didn't know why Wasp's nose was broken.

Wolf ignored Eagle's strange look as he slammed his meal tray down on the table. Cub wasn't there and Wolf couldn't even fathom a guess as to why.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yes," he growled, temper threatening to override his resolve not to hit the next thing that moved. He couldn't say why he was so mad. Maybe it was because a mere two days ago he'd promised to have the boy's back and now he was being kicked out planes. But maybe Cub didn't even know about the promise. That made him angry all over again. Was Jack really going to let the boy think he was alone? That sounded like something MI6 would do, not this overly manipulative, yet protective guardian of the only boy to ever have the balls and backbone to stick it out in this hell hole. That any had ever tried before, but still, it was quite the accomplishment.

He felt a sudden surge of respect under his anger. Those two really were something.

"Where's your spare?" asked a very pissed off person. Wolf brought his head up to see Wasp standing at Eagle's shoulder, eyes narrowed.

"Don't know," he responded quickly, hoping to head off whatever trouble this man was trying to start.

"Why do you care?" Fox asked. Wolf suppressed a groan. Why couldn't they have left it at that?

"I need to speak with him," Wasp replied.

"About what?" Wolf asked unable to stop himself. This didn't sit right. Wasp had shown nothing but hostility towards Jack and Cub. He guessed the same could be said about him, but he had, at the very least, gained Jack's trust.

"My nose," the soldier replied pointing at the black and purple spot on his face.

"What about it?" Snake asked, his medical training preventing him from not asking about the injury in question.

"I want to know why she did it," he said.

"You don't know?" Eagle asked eyebrows almost flying off his face. "You were there!"

"I know," Wasp humored, his eyes never leaving Wolf's face. "She came out of nowhere with a piece of plywood."

"Why would she just randomly attack?" Fox asked eyebrows creased as he tried to decipher the crazy American's reasoning. Wasp just shrugged.

"I don't know," he said. "I was hoping Cub would know."

"We don't know where he is," Eagle replied. "He didn't do the jump with us."

"Why not just ask Jack?" Wolf asked. "She's the one that broke it." Wasp hesitated in his answer and Wolf had a feeling he didn't ever want to see the woman again.

"I did," he said finally.

"And?" Wolf pressed.

"She told me to figure it out myself." With that Wasp left to return to his Unit on the far side of the mess hall. Once he left Eagle immediately turned back to the others in a way that reminded Wolf of a teenaged gossip with something juicy to share. He winced as his over tired mind conjured an image of Eagle in a dress. He really needed some sleep; he was starting to lose it.

"Jack told us it was an accident," he said.

"Who do you think is lying?" Fox asked.

"Jack," Wolf growled instantly. The others looked at him with identical you-had-better-explain-that expressions on their faces. "Jack has never done anything without a reason. She broke his nose on purpose then spread it around that was an accident for a reason."

"What reason?" Snake asked. "Do you think he tried something?"

"And risk being binned?" Eagle asked. "I doubt it."

"No, she was trying to prove a point," Wolf said. "That's all she's ever trying to do."

"What point?" Snake asked. "Mess with me and I'll break your face?" Wolf shrugged. He wasn't entirely sure what Jack's point was in all this.

His Unit still thought her to be a loose cannon, running amok in the training camp. Wolf was probably the only one to see that her actions were timed and methodical. The milk thing was designed to look like a prank, payback for being pricks to Cub, but her subsequent lecture hinted at another motive. The insane act would have been more believable if Cub hadn't reacted to it. It was like he'd never seen her act that way.

Then the boy had started taking her words and actions in stride, like he had figured out what she was doing. He'd reacted to Wasp's nose being broken then, seemingly blindly accepted the vague excuse she gave to them. He'd even fallen asleep during the conversation which admittedly, had ended up being quite loud.

Wolf knew the two of them were doing some sort of dance. Jack would do something and Cub would pretend to understand the reason. But Wolf had seen the two of them talking that day at the shooting range. They gave no clear visual sign that the conversation was bothering them, other than the lack of eye contact. He'd had a bad feeling when Jack had walked away with a smirk. He'd watched the Sergeant and Cub talk and then Cub walked away. The boy had made brief eye contact with Wolf and, despite the fact that the man barely knew him, Wolf saw a spark of anger in his eye. Whatever he and his guardian had talked about, it had bore no fruit.

Yes, there was something going on between the two of them. Something he couldn't begin to comprehend. So, he'd confronted Jack and discovered something he hadn't thought of. Training from a crazed civilian was something he hadn't thought he'd ever deal with, but he had to admit, between Jack's little 'lessons' and trying to figure out what the hell was going on, he had learned something. There was a lot more to this job than pointing and shooting. More than just following orders and Wolf did feel ready to face the crazies and worst the world had. He was also ready to back this kid up in whatever he got messed up in.

You didn't send a child unless the situation was completely hopeless. Wolf knew that and he now understood why Jack had chosen to come here. To get help for whatever was coming.

He looked up to see his Unit staring expectantly at him. They wanted an answer he didn't have. "Figure it out," he said.

The rest of the meal passed in a tired and companionable silence. When they were done Wolf led the way back to the hut. He needed to talk to Jack about Wasp. He knew she wouldn't give him a straight answer but with enough hints he might be able to figure it out. He had after all figured her out to an extent. Something no one else had managed to do, expect, maybe, Cub.

"The hell," Eagle said quietly when they got back to the hut. Wolf couldn't help but agree as he froze in surprise. Both Cub and Jack had arrived for training late so their cots had been squeezed in later. Those cots were gone, leaving the four original ones in the small hut. It looked bigger without the two beds and Jack's incredible mess, which, thankfully, hadn't been held against them during barrack checks.

"Where are they?" Fox asked looking over his shoulder as if the two would suddenly appear.

"Gone," Wolf said. The others turned back towards him but he just stared at the spot where Cub's cot had been. "Back to wherever they came from."

That flight had a double purpose; practicing parachuting and getting Cub to wherever he needed to be. Jack had probably left the same way she'd come. They both had left as quickly as they'd come and without fuss or show. One second they were there causing chaos and the next they were gone as if they'd never been. It was almost surreal to think that almost all evidence of them was gone from the camp, even the cots they'd used were gone as if to prove that only four of them had ever been there to begin with.

The Unit didn't talk much that night, each wrapped up in their own thoughts.

The next morning it spread that K-Unit was now bereft of the oddities that were Jack and Cub. Wolf couldn't bring himself to feel relieved about it though. Jack had gone to so much trouble to make sure the kid had at least one ally he could depend on in the field. Wolf wondered how and when he would be making good on his promise to her.

He found that he had rather mixed feelings. On the one hand, he didn't want Cub to be in a situation that would require the SAS (he was a teenager for the love of god!), but he also wanted to get back at the boy for the plane thing. It wouldn't do for Cub to think he'd gotten away with it after all.

* * *

Jack had started packing the moment the Unit left for the plane. She'd handed a nameless trainer Alex's duffel which would somehow make it back to the boy by the time he reached his destination.

She knew he'd listened to the entire conversation between her and Wolf. She'd set it up that way skipping dinner waiting for a confused and fed up Wolf to confront her. She knew Alex would listen in; he wanted to know what she doing as much as Wolf had. He'd heard the man promise to watch his back when it was necessary.

They hadn't said good bye. She'd barely had time to say a word to him that morning as he darted off to training with the rest of the men. She hoped he'd be okay.

She'd been going around the camp tying up loose ends before her own departure. She'd been caught by Wasp and with his inquiry as to why she'd broken his nose, she'd given the same response she'd given to Alex two days earlier: "Figure it out. All the clues are there for you."

She'd also felt the need to say the good bye to the Sergeant.

"Just wanted to say thanks," she said. He was leaning in his chair across the desk from her.

"For what?" he asked.

"Putting up with me," she replied with a sheepish smile. "I know I'm not easiest person to put up with."

"It would have been better if you hadn't caused so much trouble," he said. She gave him a genuine smile of amusement.

"It was all for the best," she said and watched as his eyes narrowed.

"Tell me Jack," he started and she knew the conversation would be turning serious. "Why does Cub think you're here for reasons other than what you said?"

"I guess he knows me too well," she said.

"How so?"

"Well, for starters, the house wasn't ever burned down," she said.

"Why lie?" he growled, annoyed she'd tricked him.

"Needed you to believe the situation was critical," she replied. "I was receiving threats and I did exchange secret files for a ride out here, but I couldn't tell you everything and I needed for you to kick up as little fuss as possible."

"Why?" He stared at her with that blank stare she'd come so used to in the past seven years.

"I had a job to do," she said then held up a hand to keep him from saying what she knew he was going to say. "Not for MI6 or any other government agency," she said.

"Then what kind of job are you here to do?" he asked confused.

"The job Cub's uncle asked me to do," she said. "Cub is hardly the typical teenager and that requires me to be a different kind of guardian and do things the title of guardian doesn't normally entail. But the result is the same; I do my best to keep him happy and healthy."

He didn't give an answer to that beyond one word, "Wolf." She nodded her approval to his conclusion.

"Wolf," she confirmed out loud. "He can do what I cannot. He's already promised to have his back in the field."

"You know," the Sergeant leaning towards her, elbows on his desk. "MI6 instructed me to work overtime with whatever Unit Cub was paired with. Wanted them to be a team."

"Blunt wants the perfect weapon," Jack said. "But he also needs a human. Robots don't think for themselves and if Cub knows in his heart that someone is coming, he's more likely to push forward and do what needs to be done. MI6 chose K-Unit but I chose Wolf."

"Why?"

"He reminds me of my oldest brother," she said a soft smile on her lips. "I knew he could do the job and with his leadership the rest of the Unit will step up too." He nodded satisfied with the answer just as a black SUV pulled up outside the man's hut and the driver honked once.

Jack stood, slung the duffel over her shoulder, and moved to leave. She was outside and half way to the car when the Sergeant called out from the doorway.

"Jack!" She turned to see him just outside the door. "Why break Wasp's nose? He couldn't tell me." She gave a coy smile, trying to force down a laugh.

"That's another game for another day, sir," she said then turned and got into the waiting SUV with the waiting MI6 driver.

She saw him watching the car drive out when she turned to look through the back window. Saw him turn and go back into the hut. She hoped that Alex was going to be okay. She hoped she'd done the job that needed to be done.

She hadn't been lying when she'd said that guardianship of Alex meant very different responsibilities than with some other kid. If Alex survived the coming weeks and was successful Blunt wouldn't hesitate to use him again. After all, who would suspect that a fourteen year old school boy was MI6's greatest weapon?


End file.
